Love Complications
by gamergirl8901
Summary: Sequel to 'Love Sucks'. It's been a year since they went their separate ways, but everything is not as good as it may seem. Serenity's annoyed with Tristan, Yugi and Yami have legal troubles, Joey has problems with Mai, and Duke has a surprising new girl.
1. Letter From A Stranger

Hello everyone! This is my sequel to 'Love Sucks'. I know I said it would be out sooner but I was very busy with my own love problems. Now I've got some time so I figured it's the perfect time to begin. Hope you enjoy this story as much as the other one. If you didn't read 'Love Sucks', you should but it's not entirely necessary to get this story if you didn't read the first. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**Letter From A Stranger**

_Dear Joey Wheeler,_

_I am writing to you because I am interested in doing business with you. I know you work for a construction company and I have an offer for you. It's not necessary for you to reply right away, but if you could please reply as soon as possible, I would really appreciate it. If you are interested, then come to see me on May 24 at the Parc Fifty Five Hotel in San Francisco, California. Details on how to get there will be on their way after your reply. I look forward to meeting with you, and hope you accept my offer. _

_Sincerely,_

_C.A.P. & J.M.P._

_Partners in Construction_

Joey looked over this letter while munching on a sandwich at his table. He had never heard of 'Partners in Construction' before. Then he thought that maybe that was the title of the writers of his letter. He hadn't heard of many construction places outside of Domino. Then it occurred to him that businesses in San Francisco don't usually look for workers from Japan. He started to get suspicious.

"Hey Yugi! Have you ever heard of a company called 'Partners in Construction'?" Joey asked loudly.

"No!" Yugi shouted from his room. "Why do you ask?"

"I just got a letter from some people interested in me working for them. They're from San Francisco and they call themselves 'Partners in Construction'," Joey explained. "It sounds a little fishy to me."

"Maybe they really are interested in you," Yugi said, walking into the room. "I mean, you do have a good reputation around here. Maybe they want you to come work for them. I've heard of businesses from other countries asking people to work for them. And the name 'Partners in Construction' isn't suspicious at all. You said the letter was from some people. Maybe those people are actually partners in construction. It could be a separate business or something. You never know."

"Do you think I should do it?" Joey asked.

"Definitely. You'd be able to get some more work and go to another country. Think of all the places you could see!" Yugi exclaimed dreamily.

"I'm not really much of a sight-seer," Joey pointed out, scratching his nose. "But it would be nice to get outta here. And I think it might be fun to go work for someone in another country."

"When do they wanna meet you?" Yugi asked.

"May 24," Joey replied, looking down at the letter.

"That's only a few weeks away," Yugi said. "If you're gonna do it, you should reply immediately and start packing up. And you should probably let your boss know that you're leaving the country."

"Well, I don't absolutely know if I should do it," Joey said. "I think I'm gonna ask Serenity what she thinks first."

"You can do that too," Yugi said. He looked at the clock. "Look, I gotta get going. Yami is waiting for me at the store."

"Are ya'll still having problems?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Yugi said. "I wish Grandpa had told us how hard it was to run a card shop before he retired. The workload gets bad when the tournaments start up."

"Is there a new one right now?" Joey asked curiously.

"Kaiba is starting one in a few days," Yugi replied, tying his shoes. "And it sounds like it's gonna be big. Of course, he's not going to be in it. He gave up dueling a long time ago. So I guess he's going to let beginners in the tournament too."

"To be honest, I'm not all that interested in any of Kaiba's affairs, even if it is a dueling tournament," Joey said with a scowl. "I can't stand him."

"Well, I'd love to hang around and chat, but Yami will skin me alive if I do," Yugi said. "See ya later."

"Yeah ok," Joey said. As soon as Yugi left, Joey grabbed the phone and dialed Serenity's number. "Hey Serenity, it's Joey. Can you come by soon? I need your opinion on something. You can? Great. See ya soon."

He hung up the phone and returned to his sandwich. While he ate, he continued to stare at the letter. It seemed almost too good to be true. It wasn't the fact that it was more work, or that it was people from another country, that seemed so impossible to him. It was the fact that this letter came from the same place that Mai had moved to last year. He didn't like to admit it, but he was still pining over her. He considered writing to her before, but squashed that idea immediately. He had half-hoped for a Christmas present from her, or even a birthday card, but nothing came his way. He sometimes wondered if she had forgotten about him, but every time he thought that, he had to get up and pace around the room. Yugi had given him some friendly advice and even hooked him up with some girls he met at the card shop, but he never felt any sparks from any of them. He wasn't sure if it was because the girls just weren't right for him, or because he still wanted Mai. All he knew was that ever since Mai left him, he hadn't been able to keep a relationship for more than a week.

Serenity arrived at the house a few minutes later. "Hey Joey," she said, hugging him.

"Hey," Joey said, kissing her cheek. "How are you?"

"Fine. How are you?" Serenity asked.

"The usual," Joey replied casually. "How's Tristan?"

Serenity sighed. "A pain, as always. I swear, there's always something bothering him, whether it's how the blankets feel or which direction the wind blows leaves. He always has to complain about something."

"When you live with someone for a while, they can start to get annoying," Joey said. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you got sick of him."

"I'm not sick of him," Serenity said. "I'm just annoyed. Anyway, why did you wanna see me?"

"Read this and tell me what you think about it," Joey said, handing her the letter.

Serenity took the letter and read it carefully. When she was finished, she handed it back to him. "Well," she said.

"Well what?" Joey asked. "What do you think?"

"It's a pretty good opportunity for you," Serenity replied. "I think you should do it."

"You don't think it sounds a little fishy?" Joey asked.

"Not at all," Serenity said. "It makes sense that people would want you to work for them. I'm sure they use their initials to make an impression or something."

"Are you sure I should accept?" Joey asked.

"Absolutely," Serenity replied. She paused for a minute. "You know, I think this offer gives you more than just one opportunity."

"What are you talking about?" Joey asked, confused.

Serenity rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what I mean. This job is in California. Mai moved to California."

"So?"

"So, it would be the perfect chance for you to go see her again. I mean, I think she's had plenty enough time to see if she wants you or not. This is your chance to go see what she's decided."

"But if she had decided something, I'm sure she would've called or something," Joey said.

"I doubt it," Serenity said. "I don't think doing it over the phone is Mai's style. And she might not have the time or money to come down here to see you herself."

Joey thought about this. Of course he knew that it was a good opportunity to go see Mai. But he didn't want her to think that she was the only reason he went there. And he had to disagree with his sister. If Mai really wanted to see him, she would've found a way. He did want to find out what she had to say about a relationship with him, but he wasn't going to push her for an answer. But maybe, if he went, he could just drop in to say hi…and try to see if he could get the answer without actually asking.

"Alright. I'm going to accept," Joey said.

"Awesome!" Serenity exclaimed. "You've only got a few weeks to prepare. Let me help you pick out an outfit when the time comes. Does Yugi know about the letter?"

"Yeah. I showed it to him this morning. He agrees with you," Joey said. "But he's been too busy to talk much lately."

"Why?" Serenity asked.

"He's always gotta go to work. Him and Yami are the only ones that work there and Yugi said there's been lots of customers lately," Joey said. "I think he really doesn't like the job."

"Then why does he do it?" Serenity asked.

"Because if he doesn't, he'll have to let someone non-family work there, and I don't think he wants that," Joey answered. "It's his grandpa's shop and I doubt he wants someone else there."

"Yami works there," Serenity pointed out.

"But Yami is practically family," Joey countered. "They've been together for over a year and they are very serious about each other. Yugi doesn't have a problem with something like that."

"Yugi is weird," Serenity said. She paused. "I can't believe you're going to go to California for a job. That is so awesome! And I hope things work out for you and Mai."

"Me too," Joey said. "You never know with these things though. But you know it's been a year since she left. I'm sure I'll have my answer when I go see her."

"Things will work out for you. They always do," Serenity said.

"Yeah, they do," Joey replied.

(End Chapter 1)

Review please! Sorry it was short and rushed. I didn't know how to begin the story, but I know how some of the later chapters will be. I was going to update this much sooner, but I was far too busy with school and I had a funeral this afternoon. So things are crazy. The next chapter will probably be up by the end of next week. I just wanted to get this story up in February. Don't forget to review! Chapter 2 coming soon!


	2. Card Shop Woes

Well, I only got one review so far, but I won't let that get me down. Even if it was just my little sister. Anyways, hope you like this chapter. R&R.

Disclaimer: Yeah…Yu-gi-oh isn't mine.

**Card Shop Woes**

Yugi arrived at the card shop twenty minutes late. He got caught in bad traffic, got stuck behind a pokey truck, and had to stop for gas. When he got out of his car, he noticed that they had a lot of customers inside. That meant Yami was all alone in there, which meant that Yugi was as good as dead. He took a deep breath and walked in.

"Yugi, where the hell have you been?" Yami asked. "I asked you to be here over twenty minutes ago!"

"The roads are pretty crowded right now," Yugi replied, going behind the desk. "And I needed more gas. How're things here?"

"As soon as I opened the shop, a hundred people burst in and started looking for cards," Yami said. "Stupid tournament," he added. "How was your morning?"

"It was alright," Yugi replied. "Joey got a letter in the mail."

"Really? What about?" Yami asked, picking up a cardboard box.

"It's from a construction company in San Francisco. Joey doesn't know what to think about it but I think it's a good thing. He's gonna get the chance to go to California and work for someone other than his dumb boss," Yugi explained.

"What's the name of the company?"

"Partners in Construction. Joey thinks they're lying, but I don't know. It was two people writing it, so it's possible that the writers are partners that want Joey to work for him."

"It might be legit. Personally, I wouldn't turn it down and I don't think Joey should either," Yami said. "Besides, San Francisco is in California. Isn't that where Mai is?"

"Yeah," Yugi said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He would get the chance to go see her, which is something I'm sure he wants," Yami answered.

Yugi opened his mouth, but didn't say anything because at that moment, a huge line of people waiting to buy their cards came up. They were all in a hurry, and kept nagging Yugi and Yami to speed things up. Yugi's temper was starting to flare up. He didn't like being rushed, especially by amateur duelists he knew he could wipe the floor with in two seconds. When one rude kid yanked the bag of cards out of Yugi's hand, he growled.

"Look kid, it's rude to snatch things from other people," Yugi snapped.

"I don't care. You were taking way too long to give them to me," the kid said.

"I just put the cards in the bag two seconds before you took them," Yugi replied impatiently.

"Well you could've given them to me while putting them inside the bag," the kid said.

"Get out of here," Yugi said angrily, waving him away.

The kid turned and stomped away. "I'm never coming here again!"

Yami inched over to Yugi and leaned down. "Maybe you should try being nicer to the customers. Then we wouldn't lose business," Yami whispered.

"Like we really need snot faced kids like him buying from us," Yugi whispered back.

Yami rolled his eyes and returned to the customer he was dealing with. Just to be sure he had his temper under control, Yugi went in the storage room to calm down so he wouldn't snap anymore. Every day was the same. Annoying kids would come in and demand things. Yugi would be as polite as possible for as long as possible, til the kid did something stupid to piss him off. The kid would always declare to never buy there again, but always would. And Yami would always lecture Yugi on how important it was to control his temper around the customers.

"Yugi, are you hiding back here again?" Yami asked, poking his head in the room. "It's ok, the customers are all gone for a while." When Yugi didn't reply, Yami sighed. "Don't worry about losing your temper. I lose mine more than you could possibly imagine. And anyway, I would've pounded that snooty boy into the ground, so I think he was much better off with you snapping at him."

Yugi laughed. "Fine. I'll come out. But if one more annoying kid comes to me today, I'm going home for the day."

"Alright that's fine," Yami said.

Yugi and Yami walked out of the storage room and had just started opening new boxes of cards when the door opened. Two men dressed in suits walked in and headed straight for the desk. Yugi was watching them apprehensively and Yami just stared. The men stopped right in front of the desk and rested their arms on it.

"Is one of you Mr. Muto?" the first man asked.

"We both are," Yugi answered. "Why?"

"I have some papers here for a Mr. Muto," the second man said. "So I guess I'll leave them for you two to decide who they're for. We'll be back later."

They walked out of the store. Yugi and Yami exchanged a look before picking up the papers and going to read them. The first one read:

_Dear Mr. Muto,_

_As you are already aware, your card shop is in severe debt, and you have not paid off even half of it. This is your fifth warning so far, and could very well be the last sent to you. You must pay at least half of the debt by the end of May, or you will lose the shop. The entire debt must be paid off by July, or you will be imprisoned. Attached to this notice is the amount you must pay and why. I will be awaiting your payment._

Yugi flipped over the page to see the due amount. His eyes widened and he dropped the papers. Yami stared at the total for several minutes, trying to see if he was imagining it or not. When he discovered that he wasn't, he turned the paper over and punched the desk. Yugi turned to Yami and patted him on the back to keep him from hitting anything else.

"I can't believe this shit," Yami said.

"Me neither," Yugi said. "Why the hell didn't Grandpa ever tell us he owed three and a half million dollars? And we're expected to pay half of it in just a few weeks! This is so fucked up! What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," Yami said. "But we'll think of something. We always do."

"We could always ask someone for help," Yugi said.

"Like who?" Yami asked.

"Maybe Kaiba will help us," Yugi answered.

"Kaiba? He hates us!" Yami exclaimed with a laugh. "He'll help us right off a cliff instead. I'm not going to go to him for help."

"But what if that'll help us?" Yugi asked.

"We'll definitely find another way," Yami said firmly. He thought for a moment. "I know! We can both get another job to help."

"I doubt both of us having two jobs will pay for this," Yugi said. "What about asking Grandpa for some money? I'm sure he has some."

Yami sighed. "If he had the money, he would've paid his debts."

"Maybe he didn't know about them," Yugi said.

"Fifth notice usually means that there were four more before it," Yami pointed out. "And as I've never seen any of them, that must mean that he got them."

"Fine whatever. I guess you're right. But I will ask someone for help. I don't care who it is. We can't get out of this mess alone," Yugi said.

"Ok. If we can't find a good solution by the end of the week, we'll find someone else to help us out," Yami said. "Agreed?"

Yugi sighed. "Agreed."

Yami clapped his hands together. "Alright. Let's get back to work. If we hope to get this shit settled, we'll actually need to do our jobs right."

Yugi laughed. "Yeah. Every little bit counts. I just hope we can get the money before we lose the shop."

Yami patted Yugi on the shoulder. "We will. I know it."

(End Chapter 2)

Review please! Yes I see that the chapters aren't overly interesting yet. I'm just getting everyone caught up to speed on what's been going on. And I'm setting up the major plot points of the story. I can promise that the later chapters will be very good. I've already got several of them planned out. Don't forget to review! Chapter 3 coming soon!


	3. Domestic Disturbances

Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it! R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**Domestic Disturbances**

Serenity's choice to stay with Tristan had proven, over time, to be a bit of a problem. Tristan irritated her more than she thought he would. At first, things were really good. He gave her everything she wanted, and he treated her like royalty. But lately, all he wanted to do was sit on his ass and watch tv. Serenity wanted to go out and have fun, but Tristan was lazy and didn't wanna move. She was hoping it was just a phase, but he had been in it for at least two months. And today was more annoying than usual. He also seemed to complain about everything under the sun. Today was no different.

"Tristan! I wanna go to the fair today!" Serenity exclaimed. "You told me that we could go if we had the money, and we definitely do."

"Well, that was before I found out about the Harry Potter marathon," Tristan replied, sticking his hand in the bag of chips.

"Harry Potter marathon?" Serenity repeated in amazement. "You're making me stay home so you can watch a Harry Potter marathon? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey, no one said you had to stay home," Tristan said. "You can go to the fair if you want."

"But I wanna go with you," Serenity said.

"Well, I've decided that I don't wanna go. Now can we please drop it?" Tristan asked, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"Fine," Serenity said angrily. "I'll just go with someone else." She stormed off.

"Women," Tristan muttered. "You give them whatever they want for a few months and they expect that kind of treatment for life."

Serenity stomped all the way to her room and slammed the door. But instead of flopping onto her bed, she had to clean up. Tristan had left all of his clothes everywhere. He also left empty soda bottles and half eaten candy bars on the bed. She was tired of cleaning up after him. He was very lazy and didn't like to clean. She knew that his laziness had started up when she had dumped him for Duke a long time ago, but she thought it would've worn off recently. Sadly, she was very mistaken.

"Men," Serenity muttered. "You be nice to them and let them be lazy for a few months and they never ever kick the damn habit."

She started picking up his trash and tossing his clothes in the hamper. She threw all of his garbage in the can in their bathroom. That's where she met his even bigger mess. Tristan had obvious shaved his face recently-and hadn't washed out the sink. It was covered in his hair. Serenity gagged. The sight of all the hair in the drain was making her a little nauseous. She also noticed that he had forgotten to put the cap back on the toothpaste. That was one of her pet peeves and he knew it. That didn't stop him from doing it, however. She wouldn't have said anything at all-if it wasn't for the fact that he hadn't flushed. Again.

"Tristan Taylor! Get your ass in this bathroom right now!" Serenity shouted.

Tristan groaned and slouched off towards the room. "What? It was just getting good!"

"What the hell is all this shit supposed to be?" Serenity asked.

"Stuff," Tristan replied. "Can I go now?"

"No," Serenity said. "You will clean up every bit of this shit and put the cap back on the toothpaste. I'm so sick of it being off. You really need to get some new habits."

"Yeah whatever," Tristan muttered. He sighed and flushed the toilet, then started cleaning up the sink. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to do it for me."

Serenity flared up at once. "Excuse me, but I always clean up after you. And I'm damn well sick of it. You never clean up a damn thing in this house. It's always me! It's your turn to do all of the work!"

"I do work," Tristan mumbled.

"Watching tv and scratching your ass don't count," Serenity said shortly.

"What's your deal?" Tristan asked.

"You are! I'm so sick of having to stay at home and look after you. It's ridiculous!" Serenity yelled.

"No one asked you to stay home just because I do," Tristan pointed out.

"You're my boyfriend. I wanna go out and do things with you," Serenity said. "I don't enjoy doing things by myself."

"Well, maybe that's how it is sometimes," Tristan said. "Ok, I'm done cleaning. Can I go now?"

Serenity sighed. "Fine. Just go back to your precious tv."

Tristan slouched out and Serenity sighed again. She was so sick of his shit. Yeah, it was better than Duke walking all over her all the time, but at least he did some of the work. Tristan was just too lazy. She was thinking about going to couples counseling with him. Maybe he would learn to do his share of the work. She wasn't sure how much she could handle anymore. She was tired of him promising to do things with her, then canceling for something stupid on tv. She sighed and walked back where Tristan was.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you," Serenity said. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you. I'm just feeling overworked."

"It's ok," Tristan replied, his mouth full of chips. "I should try to clean up sometimes. I know I need to stop being so lazy."

"Yeah, you do," Serenity agreed. She took a deep breath. "Look, I think we should start going to couples counseling."

"If it'll get you to stop yelling, I'm all for it," Tristan replied, his eyes glued to the tv.

Serenity sighed. "Alright. That's not why we're going, but whatever. I'll go find a good place to go. Now will you go to the fair with me?"

"No," Tristan said simply.

Serenity sighed again. "Fine. I just hope counseling will teach you to not be a complete fucking jerk." She stomped out of the room again and slammed the bedroom door shut.

"My god, she really needs to stop having all these damn mood swings," Tristan muttered. "Ooh! Harry got knocked on his ass!"

Serenity flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes. She could hear Tristan cheering while Harry got knocked around like a rag doll. It was irritating her that he preferred the tv over her sometimes. She knew his lazy streak started when they were broken up but she didn't think it would last this long. He hadn't seemed so lazy when he and Duke fought a long time ago. She was just surprised that he could possibly want to stay home all the time when it was such a gorgeous day outside.

"These are the times where I wish that Joey could be here to kick some sense into him. Sadly, he's busy right now," Serenity said to herself. "Life sucks."

"Serenity? Can you come here please?" Tristan asked loudly. Serenity opened her eyes slowly and dragged herself out of bed. When she entered the room, Tristan was staring intensely at the tv. "Hey Serenity. Can you refill my drink for me?" he asked, holding his cup out for her. Serenity screamed angrily and knocked the cup out of his hand. "What the hell was that for?" he asked angrily.

"You are so lazy!" Serenity yelled. "I can't believe you had to get me to come and refill your drink for you! You didn't seem this lazy when we first got back together! What the hell am I, your servant? Because I thought I was your girlfriend!"

"You are!" Tristan exclaimed. "I was just comfortable and thought that maybe you'd be a nice girlfriend and refill my drink. What's the big deal?"

"You could do it yourself instead!" Serenity shouted. "I am so tired of being expected to do every god damn thing around here!"

"Sorry," Tristan mumbled.

"Well sorry isn't good enough," Serenity snapped. "That's it. That's it. We're definitely going to couples counseling."

"We already decided that," Tristan said.

"Starting tomorrow," Serenity said.

Tristan groaned. That's just what he needed, someone else to tell him what to do. Wasn't Serenity enough? He was so sick of getting shouted at for stupid stuff. But she was determined to go to couples counseling. But tomorrow? Well, there went his afternoon plans.

They were in for a rough ride.

(End Chapter 3)

Review please! I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've had important schoolwork to do. And I've been having my own love troubles. As my boyfriend has recently dumped me, I'm not really in the mood to write much romance. So for right now, don't expect anyone to be all lovey-dovey with each other. And I'm starting a new job tomorrow working in the afternoon til night so I might not be able to update as often. Sorry but my life comes before my stories. Anyways don't forget to review! Chapter 4 coming soon!


	4. New People, New Places

School's out for summer!!!! Woo hoo!!!!! To celebrate, here's the next chapter! R&R. 

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**New People, New Places**

Joey breathed in deep when he finally stepped off the plane and took his first steps on American ground. The trip to San Francisco had been rather uninteresting, but now that he was in the city, he was excited. He had looked up the city on the Internet and was ready for some major sightseeing. A pre-ordered taxi was waiting for him outside the airport, so he carried his luggage out there and climbed in the back.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.

"Parc Fifty Five Hotel," Joey replied.

Joey assumed the driver knew where it was, because he nodded and started driving. Joey leaned into the seat and stared out of the window. San Francisco was a crowded city with lots to do. He was hoping that his meeting with the Partners wouldn't take too long. He was really looking forward to shopping in American stores and picking up souvenirs for Yugi, Yami, and Serenity. Before he left, Serenity hinted at all the things she was going to want him to bring back for her. He smiled slightly at the thought of piling gifts on his baby sister because he could just imagine her reaction. And he could also imagine Tristan's when he realized that Joey didn't get him anything.

When the driver finally pulled into the hotel parking lot, Joey checked his watch for the time. He had just a few minutes before the Partners were due to meet him. He paid the driver, checked into the hotel, and searched for his room. When he opened the door, he discovered that it was still empty. The Partners hadn't arrived yet. He tossed his suitcases onto the bed in the room and went to the bathroom to tidy himself up before they showed up. He was starting to feel very nervous. This could possibly be the opportunity of a lifetime for him, and he didn't wanna mess it up.

"Just stay calm, cool, and collected," Joey told himself. "Don't act nervous, impatient, or irritable. Answer questions as completely as possible and ask any questions that might be important." He heard a knock on the door and his heart skipped. They were here. "Oh god. Don't mess this up, Joey. This could be your big chance."

He took a deep breath and walked towards the door. They knocked again and he readied himself to open the door. He smoothed his shirt and patted his hair down before opening the door. Standing in the doorway were two people, a guy and a girl. They were dressed nicely and looked very professional. They smiled politely at Joey, who managed a very nervous grin in return.

"Hi, welcome. Come in," Joey said, beckoning them inside.

"Thank you," the guy said. He and the girl entered the room.

"Please, sit down," Joey said, motioning towards the couch in the room. He sat down in a chair opposite them and smiled nervously.

"Well, as you already know, we were the ones who sent you that letter," the girl said. "My name is Courtney, and this is my husband, Jason."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Joey replied, shaking their hands.

"I know you probably had concerns about our title, 'Partners in Construction'," Jason said. "That's just what we call ourselves. Courtney and I are indeed partners on this project."

"Project?" Joey repeated, confused.

"Yes, project," Jason said. "We can't exactly give you the details right now, but we are interested in getting you in this project. However, you must agree to it without knowing what the project is. In due time, you will discover what it is on your own."

Joey thought for a moment. "Would this project require a lot of work?"

Courtney looked at Jason. "In a sense," she replied carefully.

"Nothing very extraneous," Jason added quickly. "At least not physically."

"It's mentally difficult?" Joey asked. He felt a little wary.

"I wouldn't call it difficult," Courtney answered. "But it will be rather challenging."

"So what do you say?" Jason asked.

Joey thought carefully. He wasn't sure about this. He was uncomfortable with the fact that they wouldn't reveal what "the project" was right away, and wondered if he was being tricked and scammed. On the other hand, he had a feeling that something good was going to come out of it if he did accept it, but he didn't know what it was. He started thinking about what Serenity would say if he asked her for advice, and remembered what she said a few weeks ago, when he first told her about the letter. She thought he should go for it, and if she was confident it was a good thing, then he decided that he would be too. He trusted his sister's judgment more than anyone's.

"Ok. I'm in," Joey replied.

Courtney smiled. "That's good." She stood up. "Thank you for your time. We'll call you up in a day or two to arrange another meeting to discuss this further."

"Ok," Joey said. He shook hands with them. "Thank you for this chance. I'll see you in a few days then."

He saw them out, then shut the door and started to unpack his things to make himself more at home. After making everything look more his style, he checked the time again. There was still plenty of time for him to go check out some of the sights in the city, so he went down to call another cab and ran into Jason and Courtney again.

"Oh, Mr. Wheeler," Courtney called to him. "We've arranged for you to have a rental car while you're staying here."

"It's on its way now," Jason added.

"Wow. Thank you very much," Joey said. He paused. "Excuse me for asking, but why are you guys going through all this trouble just to get me on your project?"

Courtney glanced briefly at Jason. "We think you're the perfect person to help us with the project," she said.

"You've got certain…experience and skills that will be needed to complete the project," Jason explained.

"Oh, ok," Joey said. His rental car pulled up. "Is that it?" Courtney nodded. "Thanks again, and I'll see you in a few days."

"Enjoy your stay here," Courtney said.

Joey drove off in his rental car a few minutes later, headed off to see one of San Francisco's most famous landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge. He had seen it on tv of course, but was dying to see it in real life. While he was driving, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Serenity's house phone to tell her about the meeting. She picked up just as he pulled up to a red light.

"Hey Serenity," Joey said.

"Hey Joey," Serenity said. "How was your meeting?"

"It was fine. I've agreed to join their project," Joey replied. "I don't know what the project is, but I'm going to do it anyway just in case it's a really good thing for me."

"I think that's a good idea," Serenity said. "But you should try to figure out exactly what the project is as soon as possible. You don't wanna get in too deep and find out it was something bad, because the further you get in, the harder it will be to get out."

"I know," Joey said. "So, how's counseling?"

Serenity sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"That bad?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it. I'll just say this. Tristan has been spending lots more time on that couch than usual."

"He did something stupid while at counseling?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. It's what he said."

"What exactly did he say?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. I'll just tell you that what he said wasn't anything good, or anything that he ever told me, so I'm not sure who he lied to."

"Well, good luck with that," Joey said. "I gotta go. Love you."

"Love you too."

Joey hung up the phone and continued towards the bridge. His rental car had a GPS tracking system, so he knew exactly where he was going. When he finally got there, he pulled over on the side of the bridge and stepped out, looking around. It was bigger than he imagined it to be, but much better looking than on tv. He sat on the trunk of the rental car and watched people drive by, enjoying the fact that he was sitting in a very important landmark. He pulled out his camera and took as many pictures of the bridge that he could, including passing cars and a traffic jam that occurred minutes later. He smiled to himself, feeling that this trip was going to be better than he could imagine.

(End Chapter 4)

Review please! So school's finally out! Yes! I'm gonna be a senior next year! Woo hoo! Now, that's the best news I've gotten in a while. I haven't updated in a while because at the beginning of May, I was dumped by my ex…again. And I was too upset over that. I recently got fired from my job too, so that postponed this update some more. But with me not having a boyfriend, job, or school, I should be able to update more often than before. Don't forget to review! Chapter 5 coming soon!


	5. Making Money Muto Style

Alright, it's time for the next chapter! Last week sucked bad. This week sucks more. I have band practice for three hours on Friday and I really don't wanna go. But it's mandatory so I've gotta wake up early to go be around people I hate. Yippee. Also, as a side note, some of the chapters in the story are set before others. This is one of them. I know it's confusing and all but that's how I decided to write it. Just as an explanation, this chapter is set before the last chapter, which means that Joey hasn't left yet, which is why he's in it. Anyways R&R.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**Making Money Muto Style**

Yugi sighed and hung up the phone. "That's the tenth time I've called him today. Still no answer."

"Didn't you leave the message on his machine two days ago?" Yami asked.

"Yes. And he never returned it," Yugi replied. He flopped onto the couch. "I wonder if maybe he's avoiding us because he knows that he owes money and he can't pay it."

"We should probably head over to his house," Yami said.

Yugi sat up. "You think that's a good idea?" he asked.

"Definitely. We have a key, so if he's home, he can't avoid us."

"And if he's not?"

"Then we wait for him to get home."

**At Grandpa Muto's place**

Yugi and Yami arrived and immediately noticed that the garage door was shut. This meant that Grandpa was home, because when he left, he would leave it open. Yugi went straight up to the door and unlocked it. When they stepped inside, however, they noticed that the lights were all off. The air conditioner wasn't running either, despite the fact that the weather was warm today. Yami headed straight for the bedroom while Yugi checked the living room and the den. They met up again in the kitchen.

"The entire house is empty," Yami said. "But the garage door is shut. He always leaves it open when he leaves the house."

"Well, I checked his answering machine, and he definitely got my message," Yugi said. He glanced at the counter and stopped. "He left us a note." He walked over and picked it up.

_To whichever one of you reads this,_

_I've decided to go on a long, well deserved vacation. I've been feeling very cooped up in this house and feel like I need some fresh air. I won't say where I'm off to, but I can promise that it's somewhere that the mailmen will not be able to find me, so just address all mail to here and I'll read it when I return. That won't be for at least two months, however._

_Wishing you all well,_

_Grandpa_

Yami stared at the letter with wide eyes. "He's…gone?"

"That sneaky son of a bitch," Yugi said in disbelief. "He ditched us after he got my message! I'm gonna kill him when he gets back!"

At Yugi's place 

Yugi stormed into the house and slammed the door shut. Yami walked in behind him, shaking his head. Yugi stomped over to the couch and threw himself on it. He was pissed off, and nothing Yami had said on the way home made him feel any better. Yami went into their bedroom and kicked off his shoes. When he walked back out, he went straight to the kitchen for lunch, and saw Joey standing there, staring at Yugi.

"What's wrong with him?" Joey asked.

"Remember the notice we got a few days ago?" Yami asked. Joey nodded. "Well, it turns out that after Yugi left a message for Grandpa telling him about it, Grandpa left. He's gone on vacation and left us to clean up his mess."

"Ah, I see," Joey said. He started making his lunch. "So what're you guys gonna do about it?"

Yami sighed. "I'm not sure. I've never had this sort of problem before. I guess one of us is going to have to get a second job."

Joey thought for a minute. "Hey, I know a place that's hiring right now. They pay pretty good too." He hesitated. "I'm not sure you'll like the job much, though."

"I'll take it, no matter what it is," Yami said. "I'm desperate."

"Ok," Joey said. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

_Two days later…_

**In the streets of Domino**

"So, Yami starts his new job today," Yugi told Joey while they walked. "He refused to tell me what he's doing though. He just said that if I wanted to find out, I had to come down here around noon. I hope he makes it fast. I need to get back to the card shop before Kaiba's tournament members show up for their afternoon break."

Joey scowled at the mention of Kaiba. "I was hoping his tournament would be a big flop."

"Not even close. I think this is one of the biggest ones he's ever held," Yugi said. "I think it might even be bigger than Battle Ci-what the fuck?" He stopped short. "Yami?"

"Hey, Yugi," Yami said grumpily. His face was sticking out of his Big N Tasty costume, part of his new job. "Guess what I am?"

"A McDonald's advertiser?" Yugi asked, suppressing a laugh.

Joey burst into giggles. "You look so retarded!"

Yami growled. "You were the one who suggested this job to me!"

"You didn't have to take it," Yugi pointed out. "So don't blame Joey." He swallowed a giggle. "At least we'll have more money."

"That's besides the point!" Yami exclaimed. "I look ridiculous!" A group of kids passing by pointed and laughed at Yami. "Shut the hell up, brats!" When they continued to laugh, his face turned red. "Hey, guess what, demon spawn? Santa Claus isn't real!"

The kids ran away crying. Yugi slapped Yami. "Why did you do that?"

"They were laughing at me!" Yami exclaimed indignantly.

"So? That doesn't give you the right to break their hearts!" Yugi yelled. "Or are you going to do that to me next time I laugh at you?"

"Calm down, Yugi," Joey said. "He's just mad because he looks like a douche bag."

"Go away!" Yami shouted at Joey.

"Alright, alright. We'll leave you to look like a moron," Joey said. "Come on, Yugi. You need to get back to work."

"Alright." He turned to Yami. "Calm down, ok? I'll see you when you get home." He kissed Yami on the cheek. "If you finish early, head down to the card shop to help out."

"Ok," Yami said.

**At the card shop**

Yugi was sitting behind the counter, spinning his straw in his soda unenthusiastically. Things were quite dull at the shop without Yami around. He had no one to talk to, and got stuck eating his lunch by himself. Joey had to go back home so he could get ready to go with Serenity and Tristan to couples counseling. Yugi sighed and decided to started stocking up. He headed in the back and returned with three big cardboard boxes. Once he set them down, he glanced and the clock and gulped. It was time for the afternoon rush of tournament players.

As if on a timer, at least a hundred duelists rushed into the store, pushing and shoving each other out of the way. They crowded over the display shelves and the counter. Yugi felt overwhelmed, especially when a second wave of duelists entered after the first. There were at least two hundred people in the store, and only he was working. He silently wished for Yami to show up, but knew that it wasn't going to happen. He snuck off to the back to pretend to get something just so he could sit down. When he returned a few minutes later, he discovered that most of his customers were waiting very impatiently in line. Lots of them were shoving each other out of the way. Yugi sighed and started ringing up the first bunch of them.

"Hey, porcupine! Hurry up the line!" a guy in the back yelled.

"Wait your god damn turn, asshole!" Yugi yelled back.

"Forget that," the guy said. He and a bunch of his friends stormed out of the store, leaving the cards they meant to buy on the floor.

"Anyone else got something rude to say?" Yugi asked. "Because if so, take it somewhere else!"

A whole crowd of people turned around and walked right out of the store. Yugi slapped his forehead, wondering why he would say something so stupid. Because he was the only person working, the line moved slowly. Most of the customers left out of impatience. After the entire store was empty, he picked up all the merchandise that the angry customers left on the floor or put on the wrong shelves. He checked the time and saw that it was going to be several hours before another rush of people was going to show up. He sat down on a box and thought about things he could do to get more money. Just when he thought all hope was lost, he suddenly got an idea.

_An hour later…_

"This was a bad idea," Yugi muttered.

Joey, Serenity, and Tristan were all laughing their asses off at Yugi. They couldn't help it. He just looked silly in the Dark Magician costume. He had decided to advertise his shop and twirl the Dark Magician staff in hopes of getting some extra money. He even did a few dances and got tips for it. But once the Wheelers and Tristan showed up, the fun ended, for they couldn't and wouldn't stop laughing at him. They had shown up while he was in the middle of a tap dance, and hadn't stopped making fun of him, despite the fact that ten minutes had already passed.

"Ok guys, it's not that funny," Yugi said grumpily.

"Yes it is," Joey said between laughs. "You look…so…ridiculous."

"What…possessed you…to do that?" Serenity asked, hardly able to speak through her giggles.

"Well, Yami's getting paid to dress as a giant hamburger, so I figured if I dressed up as something, I could get us some extra money too," Yugi explained, glaring at her for laughing. "And until you guys had shown up, it was working too."

"How much did you make?" Tristan asked, wiping his eyes.

"About $45 in singles and change," Yugi replied. "I counted it out during my five minute break. I had just started dancing again when you three showed up."

"Are you going to tell Yami about this?" Joey asked. "Because if you won't, I definitely will."

Serenity picked up a camera. "Let's get a picture to mark this moment."

Yugi glared and crossed his arms as the camera flashed. Serenity giggled and her, Joey, and Tristan walked away, laughing their heads off. He sighed and leaned against a brick wall, thinking.

Making money wasn't very fun.

(End Chapter 5)

Review please! My wrists really hurt from playing in an Internet tournament so I had to type this chapter as quickly as possible. I'm sorry if it's not very good or if it's rushed. Well don't forget to review! Chapter 6 coming soon!


	6. Counseling Crises

Wow…I know it's strange but I've actually updated within a few days of the last chapter! Well I've got nothing else to really do. Band practice sucked but my Internet tournament is on a sort of…easy phase so I've got time to write. This is yet another chapter where the sequence of events is a little out of order. R&R.

Disclaimer: Do I still need this? It's obvious I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters, because if I did, I doubt I would be on here writing stories.

**Counseling Crises**

Joey pulled into the counselor place's parking lot, and he, Tristan, and Serenity climbed out of the car. Joey had agreed, after much begging, pleading, and bribing from Serenity, to accompany the two of them on their trip to the couples counselor. Tristan still didn't want to be there, since he had plans to watch the Pokemon marathon playing on tv. But he told Serenity that he would go, even though they were going a day later than she said they would.

"This is gonna be such a big waste of time," Tristan muttered.

"No it's not. This is going to solve our problems and bring us closer together as a couple," Serenity snapped.

"Yeah, whatever," Tristan said under his breath.

They opened the door and sat down in the waiting room, keeping an eye on the time. Joey informed the lady behind the desk that they had arrived, then sat down again. Serenity breathed deep and glanced at Tristan, who yawned and glanced at the clock. He looked as if he was praying it would be over soon so he could go watch tv.

"These seats are too rough," Tristan said. "My butt hurts. And this lighting-it's so dim. What if someone was trying to read in here? They'd go blind from squinting."

Serenity sighed. "Do you have to complain about everything?"

"Wheeler and Taylor?" a woman came out of a door near the front desk. "It's time."

Serenity got up excitedly. "Here we go!" She turned to Tristan, who was still slouched in his chair. "Well, come on! It's time."

Tristan groaned. "Do we really have to do this? I mean, there's still time for us to back out."

Serenity glared at him. "We're get counseling whether you like it or not. The sooner it starts, the better for us."

They walked into the office and sat down near the desk. Serenity sat in between her brother and boyfriend, smiling brightly. Tristan crossed his arms and looked grumpy. Joey sat with his hands in his lap, looking around the office. The counselor was getting fresh paper for her clipboard and searching her desk for a new pen to use, as the one she had earlier was out of ink. Tristan kept looking at the clock so often that Serenity ended up getting frustrated. She cleared her throat as politely as she could.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you please take hide your clock from view?" Serenity asked. "It's a little distracting when the time is visible."

"Yes, of course," the woman said. She pulled a clock cover from under her desk and placed it over the face so the time was no longer visible. "This isn't the first time I've had to do that, either. There's always someone who can't resist staring at a clock whenever there's one in the room." She pulled her chair over to the three of them and sat down with her clipboard. "Hi, I'm Allison, and I'm going to be your couple counselor for the next several months."

"Hi, I'm Serenity," Serenity said, shaking Allison's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Tristan, and my older brother, Joey." Both males shook Allison's hand with a polite smile.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Allison asked.

"Where should I begin?" Serenity asked, almost exasperated.

"Begin wherever you like, in whichever order you like," Allison said.

"Well, Tristan and I have been going out for about a year now, and things seemed great at first. He treated me really well and gave me whatever I wanted," Serenity explained. "But for the past two months, he's just been a lazy bum-always watching tv and complaining about everything. And it's getting in the way of our relationship."

"Tristan, how do you feel about what she just said?" Allison asked, scribbling on her clipboard.

Tristan took a deep breath. "Well, I'm actually really upset about what she just said. Especially since she didn't even start with what matters the most about the problems in our relationship. You see, all of our problems really started about a year and a half ago. I remember it like it was yesterday…

**_Flashback_ **

"_Tristan, can I talk to you please? It's very important," Serenity said._

"_Sure," Tristan said. "What's up?"_

"_You don't need to pretend that you don't know what's up," Serenity said. "I know all about it."_

"_All about what?" Tristan asked, confused._

"_Oh stop playing dumb Tristan! I already know," Serenity said, very annoyed._

"_What do you know?" Tristan asked, really confused._

"_I know about your plan to break up with me for Mai!" Serenity yelled. "So I've decided to break up with you before you can break up with me!"_

"_What! Are you crazy! I don't want Mai! She's Kaiba's girl!" Tristan shouted._

"_No she's not! She's going out with my brother! But you're trying to break them up!" Serenity yelled._

"_No I'm not! And Mai and Joey aren't together anymore! Mai is supposed to dump Joey today for Kaiba!" Tristan shouted._

"_What? How do you know that?" Serenity asked._

"_Mai told me," Tristan said. "But I had to keep it a secret from him."_

"_Wait a second! You knew that Mai was gonna dump my brother and you didn't try to talk her out of it? YOU ASSHOLE!" Serenity yelled._

"_What? Now you're mad at me because I didn't try to talk Mai out of following her heart? You are confusing me. And I am not an asshole," Tristan said._

"_Yes you are!" Serenity shouted. "You know what? We're through!"_

"_But I was never planning to dump you! I don't even like Mai!" Tristan said._

"_Like I care. It doesn't matter. Besides, I have someone new in my life and I decided that I'd rather be with him than with you," Serenity said._

"_Who?" Tristan asked angrily._

"_I'm in love with Duke Devlin!" Serenity exclaimed happily._

**_End Flashback_**

Tristan sighed. "It was one of the worst days of my life. I mean, I was never planning on breaking up with her for another girl, especially her brother's girlfriend. And finding out that she was in love with a guy that I really hated…that was a real kick in the ass."

"So, what happened after that?" Allison asked.

"Well, I sort of…turned to…alternative means to get over my breakup with Serenity," Tristan said, his face turning red.

**_Flashback_**

"_Oh my god!" Yugi said. "I can't believe it!"_

"_Neither can I," Yami said._

_What they saw that was so shocking was:_

_Joey and Tristan taking a shower together._

"_Do ya have to stare?" Tristan asked, very annoyed._

"_It's just that-oh my god I just can't believe it," Yugi said._

"_Me neither," Yami said._

"_Why didn't you two ever tell me that you are gay?" Yugi asked. "Is this your way of getting over Mai and Serenity?"_

"_I think it's their way of grieving," Yami said._

"_No, they already grieved enough," Yugi said. "Joey kept getting wasted and Tristan got fat."_

"_Hey!" Tristan yelled._

"_Maybe they are finally moving on," Yami said._

"_Joey," Yugi said suddenly. "You're drunk! Maybe you don't realize what you're doing!"_

"_Sorry Yugi but I know that I'm taking a shower with Tristan," Joey said. "This isn't just a random drunk act."_

"_Oh," Yugi said. "So, are you two really gay?"_

"_Yes Yugi. Actually, we are bi," Tristan said._

"_Yup," Joey agreed._

_**End Flashback**_

Tristan gulped. "It was one of the strangest decisions I ever made."

Joey closed his eyes, as if the memory was painful. "It was a spontaneous decision, when we started going out. I don't think I was actually gay, or interested in guys at all. It was just a good way to get rid of stress."

"So what happened afterwards?" Allison asked.

"Serenity and I got back together after she realized that she still missed me," Tristan replied. "But ever since she dumped me for Duke and I slept with her brother, things just haven't been the same."

"But why are you so lazy all the time?" Allison asked.

"Well, it started around the time Joey and I slept together," Tristan said. "I was miserable after the breakup, so I spent a lot of time in my room, reading and eating. I very rarely got out of bed, and got rather lazy and fat. And even after we got back together, I haven't been able to really get out of my lazy habit."

"But lazy habits usually don't go so far as to trash the hell out of our room and ask me to get crap for you when you can get it yourself," Serenity said. "The thing is, I'm tired of cleaning up after him."

"Well, I've heard Tristan's side to all of this. How do you feel about what he said?" Allison asked.

"I've always had a sort of…confusion…about how I felt about Tristan and Duke. Several years ago, Tristan took care of me after I had eye surgery, and I began to really like him after spending so much time with him. But after I got out of the hospital, I met Duke, and I really started to like him too. He was really sweet to me, and the more I spent time with him, the more I liked him," Serenity explained. "And as the years went on, I was always battling with myself on who I liked more. Once Tristan and I started going out, I felt like I had made the right choice. But several months after we started dating, Duke and I started hanging out a lot again. And as we got closer, my feelings for him started to come back. I broke up with Tristan because I felt like my feelings for Duke were stronger than my feelings for Tristan."

"So, you had mixed feelings for the two of them?" Allison asked.

"Yes. But after I started going out with Duke, I realized that I really missed Tristan, and I started to regret breaking up with him. So when I finally saw Joey and Tristan together, I realized that I needed Tristan back. Once we got back together, however, Duke started acting really strangely. He decided to…blackmail me so I would get back together with him. So I had to break up with Tristan again, and I didn't want to. Then Duke kept making me do things for him…things I didn't want to do. Once Tristan found out about everything, he and Duke started fighting with each other over me. Even after everything that went on between them, I still wasn't sure of how I felt. But I thought long and hard about it, I realized that I wanted Tristan again. So I took him back and things were great, til two months ago, when he started being lazy again."

Allison scribbled on her clipboard for a while. When she finally looked up, she smiled. "Well, I think that the main issues between you two are simple: Serenity, you need to figure out a way to sort out your feelings and to communicate these feelings better. And Tristan, you need to find activities that interest you more than your television set. You need to get active again, and work more often. You also need to take time to show Serenity how much you love and appreciate her. If you can do those things, your relationship will be much better." She stood up. "Now, I think that's all for today. We can continue this next week, around the same time, if it's convenient for you."

"Oh, it's no problem," Serenity said. "Thanks for all your help." She got up. "Come on, Tristan."

"Yeah, thanks," Tristan said. He looked at Joey. "You coming, Joey?"

"Not just yet," Joey said. As soon as they left the room, he turned to Allison. "Um, do you have any advice for a guy whose girlfriend dumped him a year ago and then moved away, and the guy is still crazy about her, despite everything she's done?"

Allison thought for a moment. "It would be a good idea if this guy made a list of things he likes and dislikes about the girl. It might help him realize that things weren't that great between the two of them all the time. He should take a box and put everything that reminds him of her and their relationship in it. And then I think the guy should try to make some new friends, not to rebound with, but to start living a life free from his ex."

"Thanks," Joey said. "I'll make sure to, uh, tell the guy, uh, what you said."

He walked out and headed towards the car.

"What was all that about?" Serenity asked.

"Nothing," Joey lied. "Absolutely nothing."

(End Chapter 6)

Review please! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My wrist hurts now. Well don't forget to review! Chapter 7 coming soon!


	7. A Very Surprising Meeting

Here's the next chapter! It's a little late because I was competing in an Internet competition for a whole month. Hopefully it's good. R&R.

Disclaimer: Yeah…I still don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters and I never will.

A Very Surprising Meeting 

Joey sighed as he stopped his car for what felt like the millionth time. He was on his way to the grocery store, where he would be meeting Courtney and Jason for the first time since he arrived in California. However, he was going to be late, because as luck would have it, everyone seemed to need to go down that particular street. Joey had been waiting in that line for over forty-five minutes.

Joey honked his horn. "Hurry up already! I've got a meeting to go to and I'm already late!" he shouted out the window.

"No one gives a damn, asshole!" the person in front of him yelled back.

Joey rolled his eyes. He came to find that Americans were quite rude. He wasn't the type to stereotype, but his annoyance caused him to do so on several occasions, like the one he was in. He leaned back into the seat and sighed again. He thought about just walking the rest of the way there, but he didn't wanna leave the car parked in the middle of the street. He checked his watch impatiently and honked his horn again. Slowly, the line started to move up.

After another hour had passed, Joey finally pulled into the grocery store driveway. He quickly hopped out of the car and checked himself in the mirror. Confident that he looked decent, he headed inside the store and started looking for them. He was supposed to meet them down the cereal aisle, so he started checking the signs hanging above each aisle. When he found the cereal aisle, he turned into and stopped short. His breath caught in his chest.

"…Mai?" Joey said faintly.

"Joey? What the hell are you doing here?" Mai asked, dropping the box of cereal she was holding.

"I'm…I'm here for a meeting," Joey replied, his eyes wide. "Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for a certain cereal for my cousin," Mai said, her eyes traveling over him. "I…I never expected to see you here."

"Likewise," Joey said.

"…If I may ask, who are you meeting here?" Mai asked.

"Just some people that want to hire me to work for them," Joey replied. "I'm in construction now."

"Oh really? That's cool," Mai said quietly. She looked around awkwardly. "So, where are the people you're meeting?"

"I don't know," Joey replied, looking behind him. "They're not…oh wait. There they are."

He walked forward and shook hands with both Courtney and Jason. They were standing a couple of feet behind Mai. When Mai turned around, her eyes traveled over both of them. Her eyes widened and she stepped forward.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mai asked. Her question was not directed at Joey, but at Courtney.

Courtney averted her eyes. "Well, you see, we were…" she trailed off and looked at Jason, her eyes begging him to finish her sentence.

"We were meeting Joey to discuss something important," Jason said with a small smile. "It's business, of course."

"Oh really?" Mai asked, her eyebrows raised. "And did you tell Joey, before you came here of course, that neither of you know anything about construction?"

Jason gulped and Courtney's eyes were gazing intently at her shoes. Joey looked from one to the other, then to Mai.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They're not actually in a construction business," Mai replied irritably. "Courtney's my cousin and Jason is her husband. They obviously did this as some sort of cruel, fucked up joke." She grabbed the cereal box that she had dropped and put it back on the shelf. "Now I'm leaving before they try any other bullshit, and I suggest you do the same." She turned around and left.

Joey looked at the Pursers. "Ok, now, why don't you two tell me what's going on?"

Courtney sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. We did lie to you about being in the construction business. But we had a good reason." She looked at Joey. "We know all about what happened between you and Mai. She told us everything when she first came here. And even though it's been a year, she still misses you. So Jason and I came up with a brilliant plan. We thought that if we could get the two of you together again, maybe you two would get back together or something."

"We did a lot of research before we started this up, of course," Jason said. "I found out your profession, and immediately thought of ways to get you to come down on business. Courtney started thinking of ways to get the two of you in the same room without either of you suspecting anything. In the end, we came up with the plan that we just carried out."

"But why did you want Mai and I to get back together?" Joey asked, confused.

"Because…" Jason looked at Courtney.

"Because…well…there's more going on than you know, and we don't like it," Courtney explained. "I can't tell you everything right now. You just need to trust us and believe that you need to get Mai back."

Joey looked at them both. "This is ridiculous. If Mai and I were going to get back together, it would've already happened. And it didn't. I'm over her and she's over me. I'm not going to pursue this. And I think I've wasted enough of my time here, so if you don't mind, I'm going to take the next plane back home."

Courtney grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Please don't go yet," she said. "We wouldn't have asked you here if we seriously didn't need your help. Just please come back to our house with us. You'll understand what's going on when we get there."

Joey leaned against the shelves and thought. He didn't know what the hell was going on, and he was irritated that he had been lied to. This had nothing to do with business, and he was missing weeks of work for nothing. And these people had set it up so he and Mai could meet again. Only she didn't want to see him again…but they said that they needed his help with something regarding her. Curiosity overriding irritation, he nodded silently and followed them out of the store.

Joey was silent the entire car ride over to Mai's new house. Courtney and Jason kept looking at each other, as if silently communicating what they planned on doing. Jason tried to make small conversation with Joey, but Joey glared at him and Jason gave up. Joey wasn't exactly sure why he was going with them. They had lied to him, and that was something Joey frowned upon. But he was incredibly curious about Mai's "problem", or whatever it was that they said was wrong.

"We're almost there," Jason said. He looked back at Joey. "I hope you're ready for this. I know it's been a while since you've last seen her, so what's going on now might come as quite a shock to you."

Joey sat up straight. "What exactly is it?" he asked.

"We can't tell you," Jason answered. "You'll have to see it for yourself."

Joey sighed. "Fine. But let's try to make this quick. I want to hop the first plane I can back home. My sister is going through a difficult time with her boyfriend and I'd rather be there helping her than sitting around here."

"But we need your help," Courtney said quickly. "Mai needs your help. You wouldn't want to leave her, would you?"

"Seem to me like Mai doesn't even know why I'm here," Joey replied. "So I don't think she needs my help all that much."

Courtney hesitated for a second. "Well…I don't think she knows that she needs your help, but I promise that she does."

Joey sighed. "Alright, I believe you. But if this takes too long, I'm outta here."

"It shouldn't take that long," Jason replied. "But, I wouldn't be making plans with anyone for a bit. Just in case," he added.

They pulled up into the driveway and got out of the car. Courtney searched her bag for her keys while Jason watched Joey out of the corner of his eye. Joey was checking out his surroundings, taking in everything about Mai's new house. He noticed that Mai's old duel disk was on the porch, cards in place. It made him wonder briefly if she still dueled, or if she was planning on getting rid of it. However, these thoughts were banished from his mind when he entered the house and stepped into the living room.

"Joey? What the hell are you doing here?" a voice asked.

Joey stood there in numb disbelief. "Duke?"

(End Chapter 7)

Review please! Yeah I know it's not brilliant, nor do I expect it to be. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I wrote this entire thing with cramps in both of my arms. I don't know why they hurt so much, but they just do. Now, I'm going to be losing Internet soon, so I won't be able to update that often. I'm sorry. I'll do my best to go to the local library on weekends that I'm not busy with band and other things. But until then, my story will be on a sort of pause. I'll try to get one more chapter in before I lose Internet, though. Don't forget to review! Chapter 8 coming soon!


	8. A Fair Firing

Yay! I had time to update another chapter before I'm disconnected. To be honest, I don't know exactly when it's going to happen. I'm going to update on weekends though, once it happens. Anyways, R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**A Fair Firing**

Yugi sighed and leaned against the wall. The afternoon rush had just ended, and he was exhausted. But now it was time for his dancing outside the card shop, so he got up and slowly walked to the back to get ready. It had been the same way for the past few days: dress like a fool, dance around for tips, get made fun of half the time, and go inside to listen to Yami complain about the horrors of his job. He was quite surprised to hear Yami coming into the card shop, slamming the glass door behind him.

"Yugi! I'm back!" Yami shouted angrily, slapping the counter with his hand.

"Yami? What's wrong?" Yugi asked, coming out of the back room and pulling the rest of his costume on. He put the hat on and grabbed his staff. "I need to get to dancing, so can you make it quick?"

"I was fired," Yami replied with a glare.

"What?" Yugi said in surprise, dropping his staff. He bent down and picked it up. "What happened? Come outside and tell me while I dance."

Yami moodily got up and followed Yugi outside of the shop. Yugi started playing his background music, and immediately began twirling his staff. Passersby dropped money in the hat near his feet and a few of them clapped for him. Yami, who was sitting in a chair next to him, glared at everyone who went by. He cleared his throat to let Yugi know he was going to begin.

"Today, I went into work as always, with a happy smile on my face," Yami began. "I stood on the corner and read out more of the ridiculous things they keep making me say, even though I should've been paid a hell of a lot more to advertise some of that food as _tasting good._"

"And they fired you for saying that?" Yugi asked, doing a complicated spin at the same time.

"No," Yami replied. He glared again. "I was just doing my job when this snot-faced kid came up to me and started poking me with a stick. A goddamn stick! I told him to go away, but he wouldn't listen. Then, a whole bunch of his asshat buddies showed up and started hitting me with sticks, too. I asked them as nicely as I could to go away. But, being stupid immature brats, they didn't. So then, I got really pissed and told them that if they didn't go away, I'd beat them with my Puzzle til they shit their pants. But the bastards still wouldn't go away!"

Yugi sighed. "So what did you do after that?"

Yami smirked. "I told them that Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy didn't exist. The stupid pests ran home crying to their mommies about how mean I was or something."

Yugi groaned. "And your boss heard you?" he asked, breaking into a tap dance.

"No," Yami answered. He balled his hands into fists. "The brats' mothers came to the restaurant and tattled on me to the boss. He called me inside and told me I was fired forever. Then he handed me my paycheck," he added happily. "I got a nice bit of money, even though I looked like an idiot."

"I can't believe you did that," Yugi said. "I think you need anger management classes."

Yami crossed his arms and looked away. "I do not!"

Yugi smirked. "Maybe you need classes on how to grow up. You are such a child sometimes."

"You're one to talk!" Yami exclaimed, outraged. "Aren't you a little old to be playing dress-up?"

"I'm not playing dress-up! I'm making money!" Yugi shouted, red-faced. "Which is more than you can say about yourself! You were just fired!"

"I'll get another job tomorrow," Yami answered dismissively. "It'll be like I was never fired."

Yugi whacked him on the side of the face with his staff. "You idiot! Do you know how hard it is to get a job after being fired?"

"Um…no?"

"It goes on your file!" Yugi exclaimed. "There's not that many people that would hire someone who was fired, especially if they were being an asshole when it happened."

"You should be fired for hitting me," Yami muttered under his breath. "You better start dancing faster, if what you said was true. We need money fast."

"I'm trying my best," Yugi said, wiping the sweat off his face. "It's really hot in this costume."

"But you look absolutely adorable in it," Yami replied with a smile. "When's your break?"

"In about an hour," Yugi answered.

"Well, maybe we should close up the store in an hour for your break," Yami suggested.

"But I don't need that long of a break," Yugi pointed out.

"Well, you'll be taking a long one today."

Yugi sighed again. "You're hopeless sometimes."

Yami stood up. "I'm going to go clean up the shop. Enjoy dancing," he said with a small laugh.

Yugi nodded and began making up his own silly dances. A few nearby duelists, after having a good laugh, tossed him a couple of singles and some loose change. He smiled gratefully and continued to amuse his Yami, who was watching from inside the shop.

Yami liked the fact that Yugi managed to have a good time while looking incredibly ridiculous. He knew that Yugi was right about the job front, but he was still going to try. He sighed and started picking up spare cards that were probably dropped from the afternoon rush. He put them back in their respective cases, grabbed a broom, and started cleaning up the shop. While he cleaned, he watched some duelists laughing at Yugi, and felt his blood boil. He didn't like anyone making fun of his love, even if it was all in good fun. He tightened his grip on the broom to keep from running outside and throttling them.

_A few hours later…_

Yugi walked into the card shop, the money hat in one hand and his Dark Magician hat and staff in the other. He walked up to the counter and saw Yami's face stuck to the display glass, his mouth hanging open. Yugi ignored the pool of drool and tapped Yami on his head with his staff.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Yugi said. "You need to take care of this money."

"What?" Yami asked sleepily, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Yugi, are you done?"

"Yeah. Count up the money and put it away, please," Yugi said.

He started to walk to the back room, but Yami grabbed his arm before he could move.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked.

"Where are you going?" Yami asked.

"To the back room to get out of this ridiculous costume," Yugi replied, trying to pull his arm away.

"No you're not," Yami said. "I don't want you to."

Yugi looked at him suspiciously. "Why not?"

Yami smiled mischievously. "I wanna do a little roleplaying," he said, putting Yugi's Dark Magician hat back on his head.

Yugi rose his eyebrows. "Oh really? And who will you be?"

"Give me a minute," Yami said, walking into the back room.

Yugi tapped his staff on the counter impatiently. He glanced outside to watch a duel going on near the shop. Yami cleared his throat and Yugi turned around with a gasp.

"How do I look?" Yami asked, spinning around.

"The Dark Magician Girl?" Yugi asked in shock. "That's very…unexpected."

Yami locked the shop door and grabbed Yugi's hand. "Like I said, I wanna do a little roleplaying," he said. "And I think this will be fun."

Yugi giggled and allowed Yami to lead him straight into the back room for quite a bit of fun.

(End Chapter 8)

Review please! I'll try to update at least one more time before the Internet craps out on us, but I can't promise anything. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope you like the next one! Don't forget to review! Chapter 9 coming soon!


	9. Serenity's Troubles

Well, it's been a while since my last update, but I've got a reason behind that. Internet was suddenly taken from me without warning, so I didn't get a chance to do another chapter. And because of band camp, practice, and school, I haven't had much time for writing. But we've just finished our first football game and got slaughtered, so I figured putting up a chapter could improve my spirits! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**Serenity's Troubles**

Serenity sighed and flopped onto her bed. They had just returned from their second counseling session, and things were no better than they were before. In fact, everything was, if it was possible, worse. Tristan was saying a lot of things that Serenity hadn't been expecting, and all of them were quite hurtful. And now, he was watching tv again, completely oblivious to how she was feeling. She grabbed her phone and dialed Joey's number.

"Hello?"

"Joey? It's Serenity. Look, I know you're still packing for your big trip, but I need to talk."

"What is it?" Joey asked, sounding concerned. "Was it counseling?"

Serenity sighed. "Yes. Some of the things Tristan said were…well, they made me feel bad."

Joey growled. "Like what?"

_**Flashback**_

_"Well, I've been wrestling with something very serious lately," Tristan said quietly. He fidgeted in his chair. "I'm not sure if I should talk about it right now."_

_"It's ok," Allison replied. "Take your time. If you don't feel like you should say it, then don't. I won't make you say anything you don't want to."_

_Tristan took a deep breath. "Well, before Serenity and I got back together, I got into a fight with her then-boyfriend, Duke Devlin. I wanted her back so badly, I was willing to do anything. But lately, I've been feeling like it was a mistake, going back with her. She seems so unhappy with me. I think maybe she would be better off with Duke. And lately, I haven't been feeling very happy either. I'm not saying that I don't care for Serenity. I just don't think that my feelings for her are the same as they were when we got back together a year ago. I'm…I'm starting think that maybe…I should've stayed single for a while. I don't think this relationship is right for me anymore."_

**_End Flashback_**

"I think he plans on breaking up with me," Serenity cried, wiping tears off her face.

"That asshole," Joey muttered under his breath. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will be fine. I don't think Tristan will break up with you. Sometimes people just need to let their feelings out, but it doesn't always come out right. I don't think that's exactly what Tristan meant."

"Are you sure?" Serenity asked, trying to stop crying.

"About as sure as I can be," Joey replied. "Tristan may be a total asshole, but I know he cares for you. He was probably just having a bad day."

"I hope so," Serenity said. "Well, I'm gonna let you go. In case I can't talk to you before you leave, have a safe trip. And bring me back lots of awesome stuff!"

Joey laughed. "Sure thing sis. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

Serenity hung up the phone and went into the bathroom to blow her nose. She could hear Tristan laughing stupidly at the tv and shook her head. She lowered her eyes to the sink and saw that once again, it was a complete mess. Her eyes narrowed and she had a quick debate inside on whether or not to fuss at him for not cleaning. But she decided that, in the case that he was just having a bad day, that she should clean it herself.

"But I'll never end up doing this again," she told herself. "He has to clean up his own messes. This is only for today. Never again."

Ten minutes later, she walked into the kitchen feeling incredibly bad-tempered. She didn't enjoy doing Tristan's housework, especially when the reason he didn't do it was because he didn't feel like it. She was in the middle of making herself an afternoon snack when Tristan himself slouched into the room. He didn't even look at his girlfriend while he made himself a ham sandwich and grabbed a few beers from the fridge. Serenity watched sadly as he slumped back into the living room and dropped on the couch like a potato sack. She sighed and started cleaning up after him, swearing to herself the entire time that she would never do it again.

"He's just having a bad day, that's all," she kept saying to herself. "Just clean up his messes and don't say anything about it. Tomorrow, everything will be better and he'll do it himself. And if he doesn't, then I can fuss at him. Just make sure not to bring his temper up again. I don't want to deal with any more drama."

She headed back to her room with her snack, stopping only to glare at the back of Tristan's head while he laughed at something unfunny on tv. While she ate, she started to think about the rest of the counseling session, and some of the things that were going to end up being said at the next one.

_**Flashback **_

_"When Duke and Serenity got back together, I remembered feeling so empty inside, I thought I was going to die," Tristan said quietly. "Nothing seemed to go my way anymore. I was becoming a total shit wreck and nothing anyone could say would make me feel any better. But that day that we got back together, I felt as if a thousand angels swept me up to the heavens and I was just floating around in the clouds. Nothing could possibly have brought me down after that. But then I found out that Duke was blackmailing Serenity, and even though I knew that she lied because she had to, it still hurt. I didn't enjoy her playing with my feelings like she was. I don't think I've been the same since then."_

"_But you knew I had no choice," Serenity protested. "Why did you get upset that I lied when you knew what was at stake?"_

"_Because I don't like being lied to, especially by someone I love!" Tristan exclaimed angrily, his blood boiling. "If I lied to you, wouldn't you get upset?"_

"_But you have lied to me! Plenty of times! But I'm not going to hold a grudge because of it! You need to get over it already," Serenity replied irritably._

"_I can't just get over it! That's not who I am and you know that! I get hurt easily, and I can't just forgive someone who's done me wrong," Tristan explained._

"_Done you wrong? When the hell have I done you wrong?" Serenity asked, her temper flaring up. _

"_Oh, I don't know, maybe when you dumped me for Duke and lied about why you did it?" Tristan replied, sarcasm dripping on every word._

_Serenity's face reddened and tears started filling up her eyes. "Why can't you just let me forget about all of that? It's already over and done with! I'm sorry about it! Every day, I'm sorry about it, but I can't change the fact that it happened! And you know why I lied and still you're angry about it!"_

"_Well, what do you expect me to do, just accept your apologies and act like you didn't break my heart over and over again? Sorry, not gonna happen."_

**_End Flashback_**

"I can't think of what to do or say to get him to forgive me," Serenity said to herself. "I've already asked Joey before, and he wasn't very helpful. Then again, he's still fucked up over what happened between him and Mai. I don't think he's in the position to be giving relationship advice. Too bad I can't think of anyone else who can help me out. Yugi and Yami have their own problems, and I don't know anyone else who's in a relationship right now. I'm starting to think that maybe I should go to counseling on my own as well. Maybe that's what I need right now-someone else who can help me figure out how to get through my problems with Tristan without him knowing about it."

She stood up and stretched, then went to go clean the kitchen just to have something to do. While she scrubbed a plate clean, she listened to Tristan talking to the tv and occasionally burping over the sound. Shaking her head, she wondered why she fell in love with someone like him.

"I guess that's one of the many mysteries of life that I'll never understand," she said with a small smile.

(End Chapter 9)

Well, I hope that wasn't too boring. It took me two weeks to write it, since I've been too busy to get on the computer lately. School and band are really demanding right now, especially since I'm a senior. But I hope that I don't have to neglect my writing. I'm still stuck using the library computers for a while, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. But I've been in a good mood lately, thanks mostly to starting a new relationship with a really great guy, so maybe I'll be in the mood to write soon. And if anything in the story gets too confusing, please let me know so I can fix it. I think it's a little difficult to follow, since I'm writing each chapter in a different time frame. I'm trying to make things simple though. Hope it works. Chapter 10 coming soon!


	10. The Discovery

Well, it's been about a month and a half, but I finally got time to update. I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been extremely busy lately. And this is probably the last chance I'll get to update for a couple of weeks, so I took it. Hope you like the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh or its characters.

**The Discovery**

"Duke, what the hell are you doing here?" Joey asked, frozen with shock.

Duke grinned. "Why, you didn't know? I'm Mai's _boyfriend_," he said, emphasizing the last word.

Joey looked as if he had been slapped in the face. He was completely lost for words. It couldn't be…he refused to believe that it was true. He _couldn't_ have been replaced by Duke. There was no way it was possible.

Joey struggled with his words. "Excuse me?" he managed to whisper out.

Duke's grin widened. "I said I'm Mai's boyfriend," he repeated. "Ask her yourself." He turned around. "Hey, Mai! Company!"

Mai walked out of her bedroom, running a comb through her hair. She looked like she had been in the shower. "What is it?" She stopped short when she saw Joey. Her eyes darted to Courtney and Jason, who were smiling as innocently as possible. "Joey, what are you doing here?" she asked slowly.

"Funny, that's just what I was asking Duke," Joey replied, his eyes narrowed.

Mai looked down at her feet. "I thought you already knew," she said quietly.

"Knew what? That you replaced me with Duke? Of course I didn't know! I haven't talked to ya in over a year! How the hell was I supposed to know?" Joey shouted, his face red.

"I thought that my cousins had told you," Mai answered calmly. "There's no need to shout, Joey. I'm right over here. And now I think you can see why I haven't wanted to talk to you in so long. You freak out over everything."

"How long?" Joey asked suddenly. "How long have you two been together?"

Mai's gaze was completely fixed on the floor now. "Four months," she whispered, her cheeks brightening.

Joey almost fell with shock. "Four months? You've been with this bastard for four months? I can't believe it!"

"It's not that big of a deal! You knew I was going to move on!" Mai exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting it to be with him!" Joey yelled. "You know what he did to my sister, and you still wanna be with him? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What the fuck is wrong with me? The better question is what the fuck is wrong with you? Why the hell are you here? You can't win me back! I've already moved on, in case you haven't figured that out!" Mai shouted. "If you've been pining over me ever since I left, then you're just a hopeless case! I'll never go back to you, so just get the fuck outta my house and leave me alone!"

Joey didn't move. He was paralyzed with the shock of Mai's words. There she stood, the woman of his dreams, the love of his life, with such hate in her eyes. He had never known her to look at him like that. It broke his heart into a million pieces. He once remembered the loving look in her eyes when she saw him. His heart ached at the thought.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then," Joey said quietly, his voice catching in his throat. "I won't be seeing you around, then." He turned to go. "Have a nice life."

He exited the room and headed back for the car, trying hard to keep his tears inside. As soon as he left the house, Courtney and Jason rounded on Mai.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Courtney asked, outraged.

"You destroyed him!" Jason yelled. "After everything we've done, you ruined it all in a few minutes. Why couldn't you just get rid of the bitterness and accept him here?"

"Because I don't want to see him anymore!" Mai exclaimed. "I moved here to get away from him so both of us could move on with our lives! But judging by the expression on his face, my plan didn't work! He came here in the hopes of getting me back. I'm not going to lead him on." 

"But even if you don't love him anymore, did you have to say all those hurtful things to him?" Courtney asked. "Didn't you see his heart falling apart with every word you spoke? Even if you don't love him now, you loved him before. Think about how much it would hurt for him to hear you say that."

Mai exhaled slowly, her brain moving fast. Then her expression changed rather quickly. She suddenly looked upset by what she had done. Duke noticed this and immediately intervened.

"But she has every right to be pissed off," Duke said. "Who is he to come all the way out here to mess up her life? She's doing just fine without him, obviously. Why would he want to change all of that?"

"Maybe because he loves her," Courtney shot at him. "Look Duke, don't interrupt what you don't understand."

Duke jumped up, fury etched in his face. "Who the hell are you to tell me not to interrupt what I don't understand? Look, I was there! I know exactly what happened! And where were you when Joey cheated on her? You were here with your husband, not knowing a damn bit of what was going on in her life! You have no idea of what he did to her, and what she went through because of it! How would you feel if your man cheated on you with his enemy's maid? How would you feel if you witnessed him doing things with the maid that he had always said he would only do with you? Would you like it very much? Of course not! So don't try to fix things when you don't know everything!"

"Well, it's not like you're Mr. Perfect either!" Courtney yelled. "You blackmailed his sister into going back out with you because you couldn't win her over fair and square! And what happened when she chose the other guy over you? You tried to beat the shit outta him! So don't you act like you've never done a girl wrong! That's low, blackmailing a girl into dating you because you're a sore loser!"

"That was a long time ago," Duke replied quietly, his voice shaking with suppressed rage.

"And so was what Joey did, but you won't let it go, will you?"

"Guys, stop it!" Mai shouted. Duke, who had been about to reply, closed his mouth. "I get what you guys are saying, but you don't need to argue about it. What's done is done, and it can't be undone. Let's not dwell on the past, or fight about it, but concentrate on our futures."

Duke rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk. You're the one who started this whole thing, freaking out over Joey."

"Well, let's drop it for now," Mai said grumpily.

**Outside by the car**

Joey was leaning against the car door, his mind swimming with thoughts about what was going on. He couldn't believe it, any of it. He was seriously messed up at the moment because of what Mai had said. He had never heard her say such hurtful things before, especially with such sincerity in those words.

_I guess it really is over for good. I was a fool to believe that I might get a second chance with her. What the hell was I thinking? I left the country thinking I might be able to see her again and maybe reconcile things. Wow, I was really naïve. But I won't make this mistake ever again. I'll get the first flight back to Domino and get back to the life I lead before. I just hope I can forget about what Mai said and just move on._

Joey turned around when the door opened and saw Courtney and Jason coming down the steps towards them. He sighed and got ready for them to open the door for him. But they didn't do so right away. Instead, they faced him with grim expressions on their faces.

"Joey, it's not over yet," Jason said firmly.

"We will continue on with the plan," Courtney added.

"But you heard what Mai said. I've got no chance," Joey said.

"I honestly don't believe she meant what she said," Courtney replied. "We'll give her a few days to cool down. Then we'll continue on with the plan, trying harder than before. This will work out. I promise you."

Joey couldn't help it. He let out a very small smile of relief.

(End Chapter 10)

Ok, I know it wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I had to write it in my Multimedia class while the teacher wasn't looking. I think the job wasn't overly bad, though. It's better than nothing. I'm sorry I won't be able to update for a few weeks. I've just got too much to do. Hope you liked the chapter. Chapter 11 coming soon!


End file.
